2012: Back to Basics - Vegan 101

Let the training begin...

A few years ago for Mother's day the kids and Frank offered to buy me a bike trainer.  Which was great, and I was excited, but when I started looking at dollars and cents I declined knowing that money could be better spent elsewhere.  It was a bummer, but I moved on.  However, not the case today.  Today, I pulled the plug, hit the button, made the purchase.  Every year at work I get a $350 wellness benefit which I can spend on anything wellness related; fitness clothes, gym memberships, running shoes, bike trainers!  Which is great.  I was able to get a trainer, the mat, a bike computer and a front wheel ring for almost nothing because of that benefit and I'm excited.  It's triathalon season again and I'm jazzed about it this year.

I've been feeling so blah the last few years that I wasn't able to muster any excitement about racing, but this year, I feel much better.  I'm eating much better and my health is improving as a result.  I'm down 10 pounds now, officially since January 1st, which is great.  I intend to keep that up.  Now I'm ready to add training to the mix.  The hardest part will be the swimming.  It's the part I like the least and it's the most difficult to do because the community pool at the rec center is shared with the swim team from the high school since they don't have a pool - which means getting lane time is tricky.  I'll have to plan that carefully.

I spent this morning making my training plan for the next 3 months.  That's more work than it sounds like.  I have the best training guide though - it's called Essential Week-by-Week Training Guide by Matt Fitzgerald.  If you're at all interested in the sport I highly recommend it.

One of the gals I saw while I was in Phoenix just got done watching Forks over Knives and she and her hubby are also making the switch to a plant based/whole foods diet.  So wonderful.  I can't wait to share back and forth with her how they are progressing!  So far, Frank and I are doing great and loving every minute of it.  Jake still thinks we're "boring" now, but in the long run I think he'll see the benefits.

We did dinner at sweet tomatoes last night, which should be a pretty easy place to eat, but many of their dishes are vegetarian (read: may contain milk products) as opposed to Vegan.  So, even there I have to watch what I get on my plate.  But overall it's still easier than some places we venture to. 

Next week we're supposed to do dinner with Dee & Cal - at California Pizza kitchen.  Should be interesting when we order pizza with no cheese.  :)  We shall see!

Sometimers...

What a day - I forgot my lunch today, which ordinarily wouldn't be a big deal, accept I also apparently forgot my wallet.  Honestly, where was my head this morning???  I hate days like that.  I only hope they aren't "carding" on the train on the way home because that little train pass I have is also in my wallet.

Otherwise, I have to say, it's a pretty good day overall.  Nothing exciting to report from the work-front, typically slow day there, but it's beautiful outside and I have nothing pressing going on, that I can remember at least!  Sheesh!

Buggin' me...

So, I had a mammography last week as one of my appointments I hit before going out of town.  On Monday I got a call back because the scan had a "dark" area show up on one side.  They want me back in for a CT and ultrasound.  I'm sure it's nothing.  But today it's buggin' my mind so I thought I'd write it down and move on.  I'm certainly not as afraid as I was when my lungs came back with nodes on them years ago.  THAT was a scare because no one would tell me anything and all the internet had to say was "lung cancer"...now THAT was terrifying.  Yet, here I sit, several years later just fine.  So, I know these things are usually nothing to worry about and about 15 - 20% of woman get called back for a second look, and I've been pretty good about it I have to say, just today became a day where the "what ifs" were running through my head.  Hate when that happens.

I go back next Monday and they say I'll have the results on the spot so I'll update then.  See, I feel better already!

My birthday weekend rocked...

Because of my wonderful hubby I had the opportunity to go to Phoenix for the weekend of my birthday, this past weekend in fact.  I turned 42.  I'm not even excited to see that in print, but it is what it is...right? 

It was a nice weekend.  All.by.my.self.  Not to say I spent it alone, but I got to pick and choose who I saw and when, which was great.  I would have a TON of pictures, but I'm still figuring out my phone.  Apparently you don't hit the round button on the face of it to snap the picture, that in fact closes the camera down altogether.  Huh.  I can work a complicated Nikon DSLR camera, but not an iPhone camera.  Genius.  Moving on.

I arrived on Friday and got set up in my hotel room, which was really quite swanky for a Courtyard if I do say so.  Very modern.  And new.  And clean.  Loved that.  I called Kheila a bit after I settled in and she stopped by around 4pm.  We talked and talked and caught up on the couple of years that have passed since we chatted and then we decided to do dinner with her new(er) beau, Paul.  What a nice guy.  I'm really happy for her to have found someone who is really her match in so many ways.  She's deliriously happy over him and for that I am happy for her!

We went to PF Changs which was great, not a terrible wait conisdering it was a Friday night and all.  We dined and talked and laughed.  It was great.  Afterwards we took a drive down to our old house, just to see it.  Wow, it looks smaller than I remember, and certainly closer to the other houses than our house here in Colorado is.  They probably get away with building that close because it's so hot out no one is outside long enough to notice how close they are to the neighbors!

Saturday I slept in, got up, read for a long time, which was great.  I was reading "Still Alice".  A book about a woman's descent into early alzheimer's.  Really good, and really scary since we have it in our family.  Good and fast read.  I finished that and then went out for lunch over to Gilbert, AZ to a place called Joe's Farm Grill.  They actually have a working produce farm where they get all the goodies for their dishes.  I had the portebello mushroom burger, sans the bun since it contained milk, but all the fixin's were amazing.  I left there and hit the Super Target to pick up some things for my room and then went home and took a nap, which was delightful.

From there, I went to meet Kerri and Jason and their daughter's volleyball tournament in Tempe, only about 5 miles from where I am staying.  I stayed and watched the whole rest of the afternoon of games, which they won all of them!  Way to go Kylee!  From there we had dinner with some of the team.  It was great to see them and catch up.  It's literally been years since I've been in touch.  Kerri worked at the company where I met Frank -- that's how long we've known them.  They got married in '94 and Frank was there (my father had passed so I missed it).

Sunday was nice, got up, went to the mall for yet another book (not having my Nook handy was really a bummer) and then got with Kheila again for lunch, my birthday lunch, that was really sweet of her, and then we headed back to her place to chat some more. 

I went home about 4:30 p.m.  I packed and relaxed and read and watched some TV and just enjoyed my last night there.

Monday I was up early and to the airport where my flight was delayed by an hour and a half.  That I wasn't happy about since I had an appointment at 3pm I needed to be at.  I eventually made it home, and thanks to Frank made my appointment with a little time to spare.  He's such a good egg.

I didn't get to swim, or sunbathe, but it was 70 degrees while I was there, which was a nice break from the 30's and 40's, and today's snow.  I enjoyed every minute of my trip, and now, it's over and I'm back to the grind :(. 

It's my Friday! :)

I am so happy that it's my Friday - it's been a long week already.  Tomorrow it's off to doctor's appointments and then Friday I'm leaving on a jet plane.  Cannot wait. 

Today though I got to have lunch with Randi.  Can never get enough of that girl.  It's one of the few things I'd miss if I wasn't working downtown anymore.  Good thing we see each other occasionally on a weekend with our families. 

Nothing really exciting to report.  Just watching the clock and counting the hours 'til I'm free!

Count down to sunshine!

This is a short work-week for me.  Hallelujah!  I'm in Monday - Wednesday.  Thursday I have a few doctor's appointments to tend to so I'm off, and then Friday I board a plane and head for the beautiful Southwest - Phoenix.  That's where I'm heading for my weekend away.  What started as a girl's trip ended in no one being able to go - so though I toyed with the idea of Vegas for a bit, I decided going back to Arizona would be more restful and relaxing - especially on my own.  I cannot wait.  It's supposed to snow here a bit today -- but there, it's 73 degrees and sunny.  Alana did make me promise to wear sunscreen, especially on my first day by the pool.  I suppose she has a point.  She's been witness to my "Greek" skin burning to crimson the first day out.

I have a few friends to see while I'm out there.  Hopefully.  If the stars align and everything works out.  Kheila now lives on the east side of town where I happen to be staying.  Kerri is on the far west side of town, but she's totally worth the drive and then there's Kent.  He's on the south east side, a bit of a drive but not bad from where I'm staying.  I blogged about Kent later last year.  He lost his wife, our friend, Maryann this year, and more recently his father.  It's been a rough ride for Kent, and the kids.  I really want to stop in and give him a hug and let him know how much and how often we think about him and his family.

I'm guessing it'll be interesting to be eating out Vegan while I'm there.  There was a place I wanted to visit that looked promising.  They were once featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  It's called Joe's Farm Grill -- they have a portabello mushroom sandwich, straight off their farm, but the bun apparently contains milk.  And I don't really want a giant mushroom on a plate.  So that was a bummer.  I have this handy little "dining out vegan" app on my iPhone.  Hopefully it will point me to things other than Indian while I'm there.  Not that I don't love Indian, I do, but I would love a little variety as well.

So, besides visiting friends, it'll be pool side and reading.  That is if my Nook arrives in time.  Apparently I burned out the batter and being that it's just barely over a year old, B&N is honoring the manufacturer's warranty and sending me a new one.  Which I'm grateful for.  But I hope they hurry on the shipping and today's holiday doesn't screw everything up.  I'll be bummed if I can't read what I set aside to read.  "Still Alice".  A book about a woman's descent into Alzheimers.  My sister-in-law said it was her best read of last year, and I trust Barb.  We like a lot of the same types of books. 

So that's about it.  Just counting the minutes to boarding! :) 

Great "new" veggie burgers...

Frank found these at Costco yesterday -- from Don Lee Farms...

They are Vegan but not "clean" in that they have flour which may or may not be whole wheat and they use a little bit of soybean oil, but they do qualify as pretty dang yummy for "fast" food.  They have bits of onion, bell pepper, carrots, etc. I have to say, I'm a covert from Boca to these. 

Jr. High orientation...

Last night was orientation for incoming jr. high student of which Kenzie is one.  And WOW is she excited!  We got to the school for the 6:00 p.m. meeting and they split the parents and the sixth graders, which was fine, she would have found our part boring! :)  I sat with my friend Mindy whose kids go to school with my kids.  It was nice to just sit and chat with her for a bit. 

I am excited that the school is moving to accredation as an IB middle school.  Same type of program Jake is in at high school but it is for all the kiddos.  It's just such an integrated whole world approach to teaching.  I'm excited to live in a place where it's offered.  It's similar to the approach at Rennaisance where the kids have done their 1-6th grades so the transition for Kenzie should be pretty easy.

She's sad to be moving on to a school where some of her friends won't go.  Because Kenzie isn't in the neighborhood school she knows kids from all over Castle Rock.  Some will join her at Mesa next year and some will go on to Castle Rock middle school.  But she will do her best to keep in touch with those kids since they'll meet up again in high school.  At least her bestie Sibria will be joining her.  They've chosen the same electives so I hope that it means they'll be in the same pod together.  Fingers crossed.

When the meetings were over they got to tour the school.  Kind of a free-for-all with kids running everywhere, but she and Sibria enjoyed feeling a little independent since I let them tour on their own.  I can't believe in just a few months she'll be out of sixth grade, into Young Women's at church and twelve years old.  My baby is growing up.  {sigh}. 

...on making people nervous...

I forgot my lunch today.  Which means I had to go down to the deli downstairs.  I read the menu boards carefully searching for something I could tweak to Vegan and lo and behold, there was something there I didn't have to make one change to.  A grilled mixed vegi wrap with black beans.  So, I step forward and make my order.  And there it was, the deer-in-the-headlights-look.  The poor gal behind the counter was seriously stumped.  She had clearly never made said wrap before.

In panic she started looking at the board and back at me and then to the board again.  We finally agreed that I would have it on a spinach tortilla.  Then she went to work, referencing the board often, but making strides as she did.  Finally she arrived with my wrap, cut and bagged.  All in under 10 minutes time.  Not too bad.

And I have to say, it was tasty.  Not as good as some of the lunches I've brought from home as of late, but definitely passable.  And next time, the gal behind the counter will be able to make my order with the confidence of someone who's been there, done that before!  At least that's my hope.

Unexpected weather...

I'm sure they were talking about it on the news, but I don't watch news very often.  Probably could have checked my phone, but I didn't.  The weather was a shocker to me this morning.  Snow coming down in clumps and the wind blowing and the streets being frozen over.  Nice.  It took me a little over an hour and ten minutes to travel the 16 miles to the Lincoln station to catch my train.  So I left my house at 6:40 and got to work right around 9:00 a.m.  Delightful.  Looks like everyone else here is having the same problems getting in.  I'm actually one of the earlier arrivals.  All I can say is that I hope the ride home is better!